Dominic's Legacy
by waikiki23
Summary: It's been four years since Anne and Gil adopted Jack's son. What happens when he realizes he is not really a Blythe? Please R&R! *Now Complete!*
1. Chapter 1

**This story's time frame is after the 3rd Kevin Sullivan movie and during the time of the Anne's House of Dreams and Anne of Ingleside books. I do not own Anne or anything like that, only Lucy Maud Montgomery and Kevin Sullivan have the rights.**

**Thank you so much to SaraBella04 for being a great beta reader. I couldn't have done it with out you.**

**Please read and review!**

The little yellow house by the sea glowed softly as the sun set on the snowy horizon. The snow lay in drifts, blanketing the earth like a quilt, but not hiding the peaceful little house. This house was different than all the others in the little village of Glen-St. Mary; it was a home built with young love and unspoken dreams.

Inside, the mistress of this little house of dreams was sitting by the fireplace, a roaring fire keeping her warm, her cheeks rosy from the heat of the fire. She was knitting little booties and had a warm glow of contentment on her face. This glow accentuated her shiny dark red hair and warm grey eyes. Her mind, however, was not on the knitting, but was far away from Glen-St. Mary in a magical land that only she knew about.

At her feet lay two small bundles, curled up and fast asleep. One was a boy of 6 years, blonde haired and blue eyed. He was curled next to the empty rocker that was next to the mistress of the little house. The other bundle was a lad of 3 years, dark hair and eyes like his father. He was lying almost on his mother's feet.

Anne Blythe looked up, brought out of her dream world by the opening of the front door and the accompanying draft. She watched as her husband of 10 years, Dr. Gilbert Blythe, came in the front door, a swirl of snow following him. As soon as he closed the door, he shed his snow laden coat and hung it up. Anne watched as he slowly made his way to the empty rocker next to her.

"Well, Mrs. Jane Stuart and her little baby girl are doing fine," Gil said as he sat in the rocker, careful to not disturb the little boy at his feet. He looked very tired, as he had not slept in two days. He started to close his eyes as the warmth from the fire and being next to his Anne-girl sank into his weary bones.

"That's good." Anne answered with a loving smile. "A new life is always something to celebrate. Each baby is different in their own special way," Anne continued, setting her knitting down in her lap, her eyes warming.

"That they are. So, why are the little tykes sleeping here instead of their beds?" Gil asked as he stretched his legs out towards the fire and over his little boy.

"Well, Dominic wanted to wait up for you. So much so, Jem decided he wanted to stay up too. So I told them one more hour. Five minutes later, they were curled up and fast asleep," Anne said, picking her knitting back up.

"They are growing up fast, and soon now they will have another little brother or sister to play with. Dominic is really looking like Jack, isn't he?" Gil asked wistfully, glancing down at his oldest son.

"Yes he is." Anne smiled warmly, reaching across to pat his arm. "But Jem looks a great deal like you Gil. I think he will be a lot like you when he gets older." Reaching up, she gently stroked his whisker-stubbled cheek.

"I know. I hope the next one has red hair and grey eyes, like their mother," Gil teased, a smile playing on his lips, unable to hide the smile tugging up the corners of his lips.

"Oh Gil, you know I never have liked my hair," Anne chuckled, playfully slapping his arm. "But, if providence has its way, our new bundle of joy just might inherit my looks," Anne said, letting out a wistful sigh.

Gil winced a bit, remembering a certain incident involving a slate and his head and some very poorly thought out teasing. He laughed softly before saying, "I think I'd better carry these two to bed and then I am turning in too. Are you coming, my Anne-girl?"

"Yes, let me finish this row then I'll come up."

Anne watched as Gil picked both boys up and headed upstairs her knitting momentarily forgotten in her lap. Recalling herself to her self-appointed task, she finished the promised row, again thinking how much Dominic looked like Jack. Though the idea of losing Dominic broke her heart, she couldn't help wishing again that Jack had lived to raise his son.

_When he's older, I'll tell him about the father he never knew_, she thought to herself. _Jack would be so proud of his little boy. One day_, she silently promised,_ he'll know his father died a hero and that he loved him very much. _

She realized that one day Dominic would notice that he didn't look like a Blythe. Someone who couldn't hold their tongue would fill his mind with doubts. Dominic was a bright and inquisitive boy; he would want to know the truth.

As she turned down the fire, she knew that she and Gil would have to tell their little boy his true lineage

She started up the stairs, thanking God that Dominic was still a little boy. She and Gil could keep the truth from him for a little while longer.

She tiptoed into little Jem's room, seeing that Gil had tucked Jem into bed. She walked over and kissed her little boy on his forehead.

_Jem is growing fast_, she thought to herself, running her fingers through his baby soft curls. _He really does look like Gil. He'll be every bit his father. I love my little boy so much. _She smiled to herself at the thought.

She crossed the hallway to Dominic's room. She walked over and kissed him on the forehead. She loved Dominic as much as she did Jem. Even though Dominic wasn't theirs by blood, by law he was theirs and in her heart he always had been hers.

She slipped into the room she shared with her husband and climbed into bed, sliding her arms around Gil's waist and pressing her cheek against his shoulder.

"Oh Gil, how are we going to tell Dominic that we are only his parents by law, not by blood?" Anne asked as Gil slipped an arm around his wife.

"I don't know Anne-girl. I just don't know. We'll have to tell him someday. He deserves to know. It's something we can't keep from him."

"I hope he doesn't ask anytime soon. I want to keep him as our little boy for as long as we can," Anne said, snuggling closer to Gil.

"If he asks, we'll tell him the truth. We'll tell him abut Jack," Gil said, pressing a kiss to Anne's temple and drifting off to sleep.

As she watched Gil sleep, Anne's mind wandered back to the days she was with Jack in Germany and her promise to watch after Dominic if anything happened to him. A single tear fell as she remembered Jack dying in her arms on the train.

As she wiped the tear away, she silently thought, _I've kept my promise Jack. Your little boy is so much like you. I love him so much._

Anne fell asleep, safe in her husband's arms and with the peace of mind that she had kept Jack's promise.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all the reviews! I want to thank SaraBella04 for her wonderful beta skills that made this story come alive even more!**

**Please, read and reviews are very much appreciated.**

Anne Blythe was sitting on the verandah steps of Ingleside, her hands clasped around her knees. Her knitting was sitting unheeded at her side. She still looked alarmingly youthful for a wife of 15 years and a mother of 5. She stared wistfully out toward the bay, her mind far away from Glen-St. Mary. She was in a magical land of knights and heroines. She was still the Anne of older times; her hair was still a beautiful, shiny red and her eyes were still the warm grey that made her husband's heart melt when he looked into them. She had a warm glow about her, one that accentuated her red hair. It was the glow of motherhood.

Susan Baker was working in the garden, all the while keeping an eye on her beloved "Mrs. Dr. Dear." Anne, who had come out of her dream world for a few moments, watched Susan in the garden, and smiled as she thought back to when Susan first came into their lives.

_Anne was working in her garden one warm spring day, planting her roses so she could enjoy them in the summer days to come. She heard Dominic and Jem playing together in the yard; wee little Walter was lying on a blanket out in the warm sun, fast asleep._

_Gilbert came out to the garden, scooping up his youngest son, who had just woken up and sat down on the same blanket Walter had just been napping on. Anne looked up from her roses and smiled, looking so beautiful that Gil could not take his eyes off of her for a moment._

_"Oh Gil, roses are so poetic. It's almost as if they could break out in song at any minute," Anne said, a dreamy look coming into her eyes. She loved seeing Gil and Walter together. They looked so perfect together._

_"They are very beautiful. You always do wonders in the garden. Anne, I wanted to talk to you about something."_

_"What do you want to talk about?" Anne asked, coming out of the garden and sitting next to Gil on the lawn. She could still hear Dominic and Jem playing._

_"I think it's time to hire someone to help you out around here. And I know what you're going to say, "I don't need any help." Anne, our family is growing. We need someone to help with the cooking and things like that. What do you say?" Gil's face spoke volumes to Anne. She knew this was something Gil wanted._

_"Oh Gil, I love having our house of dreams to ourselves. I really don't want to spoil it. But I can see your point. Okay, we will get someone to help around the house."_

_"That's good, because I already have someone in mind. Miss Cornelia recommended her. Her name is Susan Baker. I have heard nothing but good reports about her."_

_"Susan Baker, I like the sound of it. Let's ask her then," Anne said as she leaned in and laid her head on Gil's shoulder. They sat that way until dusk, watching the sunset with little Walter._

Soon after that, Susan had been made a permanent member of the Blythe household, never to work for another family in Glen-St. Mary again.

Susan noticed that Walter was sitting in the shadows of the weeping willow, looking similar to his mother; his hands clasped around his little knees and his mind in a magical land far away.

Walter was a hansom lad of 5. He had coal black hair like his father and warm grey eyes like his mother. Even though he was still small, he had a love of poetry just like his mother and also had her vivid imagination. He loved imagining new and exciting lands where he could escape to. This day he was imagining he was a knight in a far away kingdom and had to save a princess.

Walter did not notice his twin sisters come and sit near to him. Anne and Diana, known as Nan and Di respectively, were the unconventional twins of Ingleside in that they did not look anything alike. Nan was a pretty girl with her father's brown hair and eyes, but she shared her mother's gift of imagination. Di, on the other had, had red hair and grey eyes and the strong resemblance to her mother only endeared her more to her father's heart. The girls were only 3, but they both loved their brother Walter very much. Their brother repaid their devotion with the stories of princesses and fairies that both girls loved so dearly.

Susan looked up from the garden and looked down the road to see the other two of the Ingleside children coming home from school. Little Jem was a lad of 8, who loved his brothers and sisters and would defend any of them without question. He had brown hair and eyes like his father and a love of nature like his mother. In his eyes there was no one else like his Mother.

Little Jem was walking with his older brother, Dominic. Dominic did not look like any of the other Ingleside children. He had golden hair and crystal blue eyes. Even at their tender age, the twins noticed their oldest brother did not look like them, but no mention was ever made of the differences and his father and mother continued to pray that Dominic would not ask them why he didn't resemble either one of them. Anne and Gilbert kept praying Dominic would not ask them about why he obviously did not look like them. Anne still cherished Jack's son as her own.

Jem and Dominic walked down the walkway and around the house to where Susan and Mother were. For a moment Anne did not notice her two sons were next to her; she had gone back into her dream world. She looked up sharply when she heard Susan exclaim, "Dominic! What happened to you?"

Anne looked at her oldest son. Dominic had obviously been in a fight, his left eye was bruised and swollen and his lip was split. She took her son into her arms as she asked, "Dominic, were you in a fight?"

"Yes Mother," he mumbled reluctantly, hanging his head and avoiding his mother's questioning gaze. He knew well his mother's feeling about fighting and was not looking forward to the consequences. "Dan Reese said that you and Dad were not my real parents, because I came from somewhere else and I don't look like a Blythe. I told him to take it back and he wouldn't. Then we were fighting. I did lick him though," Dominic said with a spark of little man pride in his eye that his mother couldn't help but admire, even as she tried to chastise his actions. A little pang of old pain went through her heart, realizing how much like Jack Dominic really was. As his mother cleaned his lip, Susan got a cold compress for his eye.

"So that's why you were late coming home from school. I was starting to wonder," Anne said in stern disapproval as Dominic snuggled closer to her. Even though he was 11, he still loved being close to his mother. Jem had already hugged his mother and went to play with Walter and the twins in the Hollow. Dominic did not say anything else about what Dan Reese had said in school and Anne did not bring it up.

After dinner, the children, including Dominic, went back to the Hollow to play until they were called for bed. Anne stole into Gilbert's study and closed the door. Gil was sitting at his desk, reading a new book that had come; something about a rare disease. He set the book down on the desk as his wife sat in the chair nearest to his desk.

Gilbert had not changed much either during the passage of time and still looked very much like the young man that had fallen in love with Anne years ago. His hair had a few streaks of grey, but over all he still had a ready smile and his keen wit.

"What's the matter Anne-girl?" Gil asked, moving his chair closer to his wife.

"It's Dominic. It's time we tell him about Jack. He got into a fight today, which you could plainly see by the bruise over his left eye. I didn't want to say anything in front of the other children. He was told we are not his real parents and that he does not look like a Blythe. Oh Gil," Anne sighed heavily, "I never wanted to tell him, but after today, we must," Anne said, a single tear falling down her face. Gil reached over and brushed the tear away.

"Yes we must. The sooner the better, too. When the children come back up from the Hollow we must tell him," Gil said standing and pulling Anne to her feet. He wrapped his arms around his slender wife, embracing her. Anne started crying on Gil's shoulder. He pulled her closer to him, wishing he could take her pain away.

"Oh Gil, I love him so much. But he really does look more like Jack every day. Dominic deserves to know about his father."

"I know Anne, I know. I love him a lot too. But he must be told." Gil said, kissing Anne softly on her forehead.

Anne and Gil held each other for a few minutes, unaware of the small lad that had been listening outside the door the whole time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, I know its been over 2 years since I have updated this story. I wanted to finish it and I am glad I did. I hope you enjoyed reading it.**

Dominic Blythe backed away from his father's study, trying to process in his mind what his father and mother had just been talking about. _So, I'm really not a Blythe. Dan Reese was right._

The young lad made his way outside the house and went to his favorite place in the Hollow. He wanted to be alone for a little while and process what he had just heard.

Meanwhile, his parents, who had no knowledge that Dominic had been listening, made the decision to talk to their oldest son. Anne and Gilbert left the study and went outside on the verandah. Susan was sitting outside sewing on a new apron for herself.

"Susan dear, have you seen Dominic?"

"Yes Mrs. Dr. Dear. I saw him head down into the Hollow a few minutes ago. Said something about wanting to be alone." Gil and Anne passed a look between themselves before walking down to the Hollow. Anne knew her son well enough to know where he was.

They walked to the furthest corner of the Hollow to find Dominic sitting under the graceful old weeping willow tree, his knees to his chest, arms wrapped around his legs. He was staring off into space when Gilbert and Anne found him. They sat down on either side of their son.

"Dominic? Are you okay?" Anne asked, placing her hand on her son's arm. She was surprised when he pulled his arm out of his mother's grasp.

"Please leave me alone." The choked reply gave away her son's true feelings. He bowed his head as the tears began to fall.

Gilbert placed his hand on Dominic's shoulder. "Son, what's wrong?"

"Don't call me that! I'm not your son!" Dominic yelled, his emotions getting the better of him. He looked up, his blue eyes piercing his father and mother to their hearts.

"Dominic, you are our son. It may not be by blood, but it is by love."

"How can you say that? If you aren't my real parents, who is? Why did they give me up? Do they even live here in Glen St. Mary?"

"Dominic, your biological mother and father were killed during the war," Gilbert said, his mind going back to those tumultuous years, his eyes clouding with painful memories.

Dominic's eyes grew wide, trying to process what his father had just told him,. His gaze rested on the horizons stretched out before him. Tears again began to fall again as he was trying to process what he was being told.

"How?" he whispered.

"Your father and I had just been married and he enlisted as a medical officer. Some time later, he was listed as missing in action and I had to find him. We had known your real father from when we were in New York. I met up with him and your mother on a train. He protected me and helped me get to safety. Your mother Colette was killed when a bomb exploded in a field hospital." Anne paused, her own painful memories flooding back.

"I was with your mother when she died. She had me promise that I would take care of you. I kept going, my love for you and your father keeping me strong. A few days later, I met up with your biological father, Jack, in London. Dominic, your father was a spy for our side during the war."

Dominic looked over at his mother, disbelief playing across his face. "Really?"

Gilbert put his arm around his son's shoulders. "Yes, he was. He was a hero. He helped bring the war to an end. He helped your mother here find me. Your father was a hero."

"How did he die, if he helped bring the war to and end?"

Anne glanced over at Gilbert, conflicting emotions playing across her face. "He and his group were going to expose traitors to the fatherland and those who were the traitors wanted to make sure that didn't happen. We were on a train on our way home. Your father was shot while we were on that train. He died in my arms."

Anne took her son's hand into hers before continuing. "Dominic, he loved you so very much. With his last breath, he told me that he wanted us take care of his son. We kept our promise. It took us a year to find you, but we did. And it was the happiest day for me when we got you back. I have loved you since the first day I laid eyes on you. No matter what, you will be our son." Moisture gathered in Anne's eyes as her fierce love for her son showed on her face.

"Son, we knew this day was going to come for some time. We have talked about it for a few years how we were going to tell you. When you came home today from school and told us what Dan Reese had said, we knew we had to tell you." Gilbert wiped a hand over his face as Dominic stared intently at his hands.

"In that case, I do have a confession to make. I was listening at the door to the study. I had come inside the house and heard you talking, and heard my name. I'm so sorry. I ran down here to get away from the family and to think. I couldn't believe that Dan Reese was right. I always knew I looked different."

"But no matter what, you are a Blythe, and you always will be. We love you, all of us. Walter and Jem look up to you and the girls adore you. And your father and I will always love you," Anne said, enveloping her young son in a fierce hug.

"I love you too," he replied, returning the hug. He then turned and hugged his father. Gilbert sighed in relief as he felt the tension leave Dominic's body.

Dominic pulled away from his father and looked back at the horizon. "Where are my parents buried? Are they buried here?"

"No. Your mother is buried somewhere in France. I'm not even sure where. We had your father buried in New York. That was his home, his life. He was buried in the Trinity Churchyard," Anne replied.

"You know, I do appreciate you telling me. I do love you both very much," Dominic said, smiling at his parents.

Gilbert sighed, glad that Dominic knew the truth. "Well, we'd better be heading back to the house before they send a search party out for us," he said as he stood. Dominic also stood up.

"You two go ahead. I'll be up in a few minutes," Anne said, staying on the ground.

"Are you alright mother?"

"Yes, I just want to think for a few minutes more. I'll be up to put the other children to bed in a few minutes."

Gilbert nodded as he and Dominic headed back to the house. For her part, Anne let go of the tears that had formed in her eyes. The ache she felt when she brought the memories of Jack back to the surface of her mind was hurting her heart. It was hard to believe he had been gone for almost 10 years.

_Oh Jack, you would be so proud of your son. I wish he could know you. He would love you. Gilbert and I have kept our promise to you. _

Anne got up and walked slowly back to the house, her memories ebbing away as the bright future beamed forth. Everything was going to be alright.

_Thirty years later…_

_A middle aged man entered the cemetery, determination showing on his handsome face. He had come here for a reason. He swiped some blonde locks of hair off of his forehead. He found the headstone he was looking for and kneeled down._

"_Hi dad," Dominic Blythe said, rubbing his hand over the writing on his father's headstone. "I'm here. I know its been 40 years since you've seen me, but I'm here. Mother and Dad took very good care of me. They kept their promise to you."_

_He looked around the cemetery, noting how neat the area was. He looked down again. "I miss you dad. I really wish I had been able to get to know you personally. I feel like I know you, from all that Mother had told me. But its not the same. I know you died a hero and you helped Mother find Dad during the war."_

_Tears began to fall down his face as he continued, "I'm glad you picked them to raise me. I have 6 wonderful brothers and sisters and a mother and father that care for me. You gave me the best gift, the gift of family."_

_The sun began to shine brightly through the trees, seeming to light up his father's headstone. "Thank you dad. You'll never be forgotten."_

_Dominic stood, brushing the grass from his pants legs. "I love you dad," he said softly, wiping the tears from his eyes._

_He turned, and left the cemetery behind him. _


End file.
